The Transfer Process Overview page has a step-by-step overview of the transfer process. Review this page to learn about what happens after Admissions sends your file to the transfer credit office.

To determine course equivalencies, it can take up two to three weeks. The entire process may take more time. Due to a high volume of transfer applicants for the fall semester and students requesting summer off-campus courses, the process may take longer over the summer. Visit the Transfer Process Overview page for a step-by-step overview of how courses from other academic institutions are evaluated and accepted at Catholic University. Please send in any necessary documents such as an official transcript or a syllabus as soon as possible to not miss any deadlines. 

A syllabus is a document that contains the details of a course: meeting times, instructor information, assignment information, course description and objectives, grading, readings, papers, test information, etc.

View an example syllabus for a philosophy course.

The Transfer Credit Office at Catholic University may request a copy of the syllabus in order for your off-campus course to be evaluated by faculty. In some cases, the syllabus is a required component of this evaluation. To obtain syllabi for courses you have taken in the past, contact the registrar, academic department, or records office of the institution where you took the course. The syllabus may be emailed to the transfer credit office or dropped off in McMahon Hall 102.

It is the responsibility of the student to obtain the requested documents.

An official transcript, is one that is issued directly by the college where you took your courses. PDF copies from the student, emailed grade information from the student, photocopied, faxed, and screen shots of transcripts will not be accepted. We require the transcript to be sent directly from the institution due to information security issues. Request the official transcript from the other institution by contacting the appropriate office. You may have the transcript delivered by any of the following ways:

• Having the college mail it directly to the transfer credit office. It will be in a sealed envelope with the registrar's signature.
• You can pick up the transcript from the college and deliver it by mail or drop off to the transfer credit office. However, you cannot open the envelope containing the transcript. If you open the envelope, we will not accept it.
• Secured email exchange. Some colleges issue electronic, official transcripts through secure systems. They will usually provide a login name and ID. Examples of some of these systems are the National Student Clearing House and Parchment. If you are using this method, please have it sent to CUA-TRANSFERCREDIT@cua.edu or you may have the school email you access to the document and forward that email directly to the transfer credit office.

Credit for AP courses is handled through the Transfer Credit Office. All correspondence by the student needs to go to that office. Questions may be directed to cua-transfercredit@cua.edu. If you wish to send a score report to Catholic University, use school code 5104.

Yes. The course needs to be evaluated for a Catholic University equivalency, must comply with the University Academic Transfer of Credit Policy, and fulfill a degree requirement. Please follow the instructions found on the High School College Courses page.

Online courses are accepted with some exceptions. Please consult your schools to see if there are any restrictions. Online religion and philosophy courses are not accepted for any student. Online business courses are only accepted for incoming transfers and the college or university must be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. For any other online course, you must submit a syllabus displaying that the course is online. Use the contact information on the Student Resources page to reach out to a particular School for more information about its online course policy.

Please read the Academic Transfer of Credit policy: Read the Restrictions and Limitations for Off-Campus Courses page for more information.

Residency requirements are a set of rules that establish a minimum number of courses that must be taken at Catholic University, and place limitations on the amount of courses a student may transfer from other institutions. Residency requirements may be read in full on the Restrictions and Limitations for Off-Campus Courses page.

Please see how the process work.

The deadline is May 1. After this date, we cannot promise a quick turn around time due to the summer schedules of faculty and staff. Additionally, summer is a busy time for the transfer credit office due to processing incoming transfers and finalizing study abroad courses.

All completed paperwork should be sent to the transfer credit office. Forms may be dropped off in person at McMahon Hall 102, sent by mail, or email.

It is rare for a student to enroll in an off-campus winter session course because the Academic Transfer of Credit policy does not permit off-campus courses to overlap with any part of a semester. In other words, a Catholic University student may not transfer any courses taken at other institutions while he or she is also enrolled in classes, whether the class has actually started or not.

In general, courses that are offered at other institutions during Catholic University's winter break overlap with either the end of the fall semester or the beginning of the spring semester, which makes them ineligible for transfer credit. Overlap with any part of a semester means that the course is not eligible transfer credit.

The policy also stipulates that courses must have at least one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of at least two hours of out of class work per week for the appropriate number of weeks. So, a minimum of 40 hours to be eligible for transfer.

If you have found a winter session course that a) does not overlap at all with the semester and b) meets the 40 hour criteria, please follow the instructions specified on the Transfer of Credit Process page.

Transfer courses are not included in the grade point average. Grades of these courses will not appear on your transcript, only the credit.

Yes! In fact, it is important that you talk to your advisor about any plans to transfer courses to your record. Your advisors will make sure that your transfer courses fit into your tracking sheet, and will help you to get necessary approvals to transfer courses into your major.

Grades earned on study abroad courses are not included in the grade point average. Exceptions to this rule include the Catholic University in Rome semester, the London Parliamentary Internship, and all faculty-led programs, which are considered resident credit. Grades will be included in the GPA for these programs.

Yes. Even if the study abroad program is offered by Catholic University, transfer of credit is not automatic. Read the Transfer of Credit for Study Abroad Courses page to learn more about the approval process. The Transfer of Credit Process page also has a section dedicated to study abroad, with a step-by-step overview of the process.

Credits earned on Catholic University's own and affiliated study abroad programs will not be counted in the total number of transfer credits allowed under the residency requirements.

Visit the Student Resources page to find contact information for various campus offices and services.

Incoming transfer students should contact the Center for Academic and Career Success (success@cua.edu) for all questions related to advising. 

Appointments may be requested for complex cases or serious concerns. Walk-ins will be accepted if the staff have sufficient time to meet. When requesting an appointment, please email the Transfer Credit Office with this information: your name, student ID, the school in which you are enrolled, and specific details regarding your concern. In some cases, an appointment may not be necessary.

Consortium approval is NOT handled by the Transfer Credit Office. Consortium approval is processed by Enrollment Services. Please see the consortium registration policy and instructions.

Please see our course equivalents pages: US Institutions and CUAbroad. These lists should be used as a guide. Even if courses have Catholic University equivalents, it ia not guaranteed that they will transfer as courses must meet all of the necessary requirements outlined in the University Transfer of Credit Policy and other policies as stated on this website.